The Series: Jay's Hunger Strike for Darfur, Part 1
Our senior editor, Rosemary, has had a wonderful opportunity to interview a man by the name of Jay McGinley. He is standing to the North of the White House in President's Park facing the White House. He has been on a hunger strike, and the news media deems this as non-issue. Rosemary does not. So we got a jump on a story before the New York Times. Oh, but then again, she worked for it. It was not handed to her.
There are several questions that were asked, and all of them were answered frankly and honestly-as he sees the issues. What shall be done, in order to preserve some space and keep your interest, is to eliminate some of the redundancies. Let me first apologize for asking insufficient and out of order questions. Let us go to the interview.
(This interview took place through e-mail and the telephone. My answers shall be in bold, his shall be in regular print. The numbers on the questions have been changed to make them more cohesive.)
Hello, Mr. Jay McGinley. It is nice to 'meet' to you. Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed. Would you like to get started? Yes, thank you.
What is so important about Darfur?
The world knows, and has known since the Holocaust, that those suffering Genocide are the least of these. It has been said that the reason for forming the United Nations was to prevent genocide. Shortly after the Holocaust, the word Genocide was coined. Before very long, all the countries of the world (except the United States) had ratified the Genocide convention which committed the world to protect such victims. After decades the United States signed the document.
The world has taken no such unanimous action toward any other type of atrocity. By definition, therefore, "victims of Genocide constitute the Least of These."
We are no longer humane beings if we will stand by while 3,000,000 of our brothers and sisters are exterminated. Just because they are native Africans and not the Arab elite who want this country?
I believe that our Father has given Darfur to us as a test as one last opportunity to turn our lives toward His service. He has given us 3,000,000 lives to save. He has made it quite an easy, low risk task for us - a bully government, subject to US and world pressure, and 3 years of visibility to this unfolding horror. We have no excuses not to fight, and fight to win now.
Why is Darfur important? It is reasonable to think that if we do not find the inhumanity to stop such an easily stopped Genocide, that statement-Never Again-will absolutely be again, and again, and again.
Editor's Note: These are very good points. While Jay is a man of God, one does not have to be spiritual to see the atrocities that occur on a daily basis. Let's continue.
2. Why should the American people care about Darfur, Sudan?
The people of Darfur are our family, our brothers and sisters. He is the Father of us all. He is going to ask us what we did for the least of these in His family, our family. What will the defense of our inaction be? We didn't know? We couldn't afford it? They were poor black people? We couldn't stop it? It was too difficult? Some of us would have to skip a few weeks meals on a Hunger Strike? A few of us might have to go to jail over night? A few of us will have to put our professional and economic lives at risk? Let's get on with His work.
Before our Father, we have no excuses. There are many examples: Love as I have loved, there is no greater love than to lay down your life for your fellow man, the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep, do unto others all that you would have them do unto you, and love your brother as yourself. These are just a few.
I will not apologize for my belief in the Lord. I understand there are people who do not. I say to those people, do you want to live in a world of hope or despair? How about a land where everyone that protects what is good is gone when they come for you lastly? It is better to be humane.
3. How many men, women, and children have been raped, tortured, executed, enslaved, forced to flee their homes to go into refugee camps, and how many people have starved to death for lack of aid? Please seperate those whom have already fled. I believe that number is around 2.5 million. Is that correct?
I would defer to the largest, best funded coalition of activists, Save Darfur coalition. I believe their numbers are 400,000 exterminated, tens of thousands raped, 3,000,000 [million] displaced from their destroyed homes. The Janjaweed would burn the children and then throw them into the wells to poison village water. That is the ones whom were not kidnapping for sex-slaves and hard labor. Some were held in dessert camps where they faced forced starvation. They die at a rate of 2-5000 per week.
The heinous neglect from the world is now so unmistakeable to the el Bashir, he feels completely comfortable to allow his Khartoum regime to now attack aid workers with his Janjaweed Arab militia. Therefore it is forcing the life-support from these people to stay away. This is leading to expected death tolls of 25,000 per week.
Editor's Note: There have been reports that over 400,000 people have died. That was the number of murders ever since October 2005. Has the killing stopped, or have we just stopped counting? Can you say, "Rwanda"?
Tomorrow we shall find out what has propelled this gentleman to take such drastic measures as to go on a hunger strike. Stay tuned.
Category: Darfur, Sudan, News, Terrorism, Human Rights, The UN and Freedom.
There are several questions that were asked, and all of them were answered frankly and honestly-as he sees the issues. What shall be done, in order to preserve some space and keep your interest, is to eliminate some of the redundancies. Let me first apologize for asking insufficient and out of order questions. Let us go to the interview.
(This interview took place through e-mail and the telephone. My answers shall be in bold, his shall be in regular print. The numbers on the questions have been changed to make them more cohesive.)
Hello, Mr. Jay McGinley. It is nice to 'meet' to you. Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed. Would you like to get started? Yes, thank you.
What is so important about Darfur?
The world knows, and has known since the Holocaust, that those suffering Genocide are the least of these. It has been said that the reason for forming the United Nations was to prevent genocide. Shortly after the Holocaust, the word Genocide was coined. Before very long, all the countries of the world (except the United States) had ratified the Genocide convention which committed the world to protect such victims. After decades the United States signed the document.
The world has taken no such unanimous action toward any other type of atrocity. By definition, therefore, "victims of Genocide constitute the Least of These."
We are no longer humane beings if we will stand by while 3,000,000 of our brothers and sisters are exterminated. Just because they are native Africans and not the Arab elite who want this country?
I believe that our Father has given Darfur to us as a test as one last opportunity to turn our lives toward His service. He has given us 3,000,000 lives to save. He has made it quite an easy, low risk task for us - a bully government, subject to US and world pressure, and 3 years of visibility to this unfolding horror. We have no excuses not to fight, and fight to win now.
Why is Darfur important? It is reasonable to think that if we do not find the inhumanity to stop such an easily stopped Genocide, that statement-Never Again-will absolutely be again, and again, and again.
Editor's Note: These are very good points. While Jay is a man of God, one does not have to be spiritual to see the atrocities that occur on a daily basis. Let's continue.
2. Why should the American people care about Darfur, Sudan?
The people of Darfur are our family, our brothers and sisters. He is the Father of us all. He is going to ask us what we did for the least of these in His family, our family. What will the defense of our inaction be? We didn't know? We couldn't afford it? They were poor black people? We couldn't stop it? It was too difficult? Some of us would have to skip a few weeks meals on a Hunger Strike? A few of us might have to go to jail over night? A few of us will have to put our professional and economic lives at risk? Let's get on with His work.
Before our Father, we have no excuses. There are many examples: Love as I have loved, there is no greater love than to lay down your life for your fellow man, the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep, do unto others all that you would have them do unto you, and love your brother as yourself. These are just a few.
I will not apologize for my belief in the Lord. I understand there are people who do not. I say to those people, do you want to live in a world of hope or despair? How about a land where everyone that protects what is good is gone when they come for you lastly? It is better to be humane.
3. How many men, women, and children have been raped, tortured, executed, enslaved, forced to flee their homes to go into refugee camps, and how many people have starved to death for lack of aid? Please seperate those whom have already fled. I believe that number is around 2.5 million. Is that correct?
I would defer to the largest, best funded coalition of activists, Save Darfur coalition. I believe their numbers are 400,000 exterminated, tens of thousands raped, 3,000,000 [million] displaced from their destroyed homes. The Janjaweed would burn the children and then throw them into the wells to poison village water. That is the ones whom were not kidnapping for sex-slaves and hard labor. Some were held in dessert camps where they faced forced starvation. They die at a rate of 2-5000 per week.
The heinous neglect from the world is now so unmistakeable to the el Bashir, he feels completely comfortable to allow his Khartoum regime to now attack aid workers with his Janjaweed Arab militia. Therefore it is forcing the life-support from these people to stay away. This is leading to expected death tolls of 25,000 per week.
Editor's Note: There have been reports that over 400,000 people have died. That was the number of murders ever since October 2005. Has the killing stopped, or have we just stopped counting? Can you say, "Rwanda"?
Tomorrow we shall find out what has propelled this gentleman to take such drastic measures as to go on a hunger strike. Stay tuned.
Category: Darfur, Sudan, News, Terrorism, Human Rights, The UN and Freedom.
posted by Rosemary Welch at 8/15/2006 01:16:00 PM
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